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Guild System
The dwarves and gnomes of Goldforge were the first to institute in guild system, sometime during the Age of Magi. Before then, each dwarven clan used its own process for mining and forging metals, created its own coinage. Warfare and conflict over trade secrets happened as often as disputes over territory or honor. The original guilds were founded by craftsmen who believed they were entitled to work outside the traditional kinship governance and wished to more freely trade and have choices in whom to employ. They struggled for a long time until receiving the support of Queen Karirtin Sterngem some eight hundred years ago. She created letters patent that granted select Master Craftsmen within a number of occupations to form guilds, each of which focused on a specific type of product. The guild system rapidly expanded to include worker organizations, such as the Miner's Guild and Mason's Guild. How the guilds work Guild members swear a binding oath to support one another in feuds and business ventures, usually at a feast that turns into a drunken revel held by each guildhouse once a year. Membership is divided into three castes: masters, journeyman, and apprentices. Apprentices are typically young and spend years learning the basic skills of the craft during which time, the master to whom they are apprenticed is responsible for providing them with room, board,clothing,and tools but is not required to pay any coin wages. In 5-7 years in most guilds, the apprentice completes their training and is granted the title of journeyman. A journeyman can remain with their original master or hire on with any master within the same guild. They can freely negotiate the coin wage and other benefits provided for their employment, but are bound into the service of their master and have no individual vote or voice in guild meetings. Persevering journeyman can usually achieve the status of master at the end of another 7-10 year period. Craftmasters are required to produce (or sell) a certain quality and quantity of goods or labor every three months based on quotas set by the guild. The quotas can fluctuate for a variety of reasons, especially the craftmaster's reputation and standing in the guild. The members of a guild within a large town or city form a guildhouse. Every five years, a guildhouse holds a general election for its guildmaster in which every craftmaster is entitled to apply and has an equal vote. The guildmasters of the guildhouses for their part are responsible for the election of the Grandmaster of the entire guild, a position that is a life term until a vote of confidence is called by 3/4s of the existing guildmasters. The Guilds & The Young Races Before the new era, humans, half-elves and other members of the young races were excluded from the guilds under the rationalization that they did not live long enough for the 12-17 years of average training that went into an apprentice/journeyman to be cost effective. As part of the Treaty of Five Kingdoms, however, King Xaban Battlebeard agreed to enforce the recognition of human guildhouses and masters into all guilds bearing his letters patent. In the 94 years that have passed, humans and half-elves have rapidly advanced their way into many guilds as well as created their own within Faolan. The Mercantile Alliance was quick to include Faolan guilds as well as Vallahiran guilds. By contrast, the Sprysteel Engineering Consortium rejected inclusion of any non-Vallahiran members and has not, to date, granted mastercraftsmen rank to anyone not of dwarven, gnomish, or elven race.